


The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

by Loor



Category: Benjamin Stone, The Nine Lives of Chloe King RPF
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2859377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loor/pseuds/Loor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the most wonderful time of the year. There'll be much mistletoeing and hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near. It's the most wonderful time of the year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Benjamin grumbled to himself when he felt the first drops of rain come down. He felt his bad mood worsen as he buried himself deeper into his coat in a useless effort to keep from getting wet. He was supposed to use his time off to be out with his friends in LA, do some surfing and enjoy the last warm days of the year. But instead fall had him stuck in rainy Maine, of all places. Just because his agent had insisted on him taking some acting classes, under the motto of ‘You can always learn something new’ and ‘it will help you with your accent’.

Just thinking about her reasoning made Benjamin mad again. Girls loved his British accent, he did not want to get rid of it. Not like that would happen in this class though. The class was thought by a wannabe actor who had pretty much no idea what he was talking about. He held long and boring speeches about how he should have gotten this or that role or what he thought they should know or do to get a particular role. After just two days, Benjamin already knew he wouldn’t be learning anything from this guy.

As the rain began coming down harder, Benjamin decided to look for some shelter nearby instead of taking the long walk to the off campus apartment his agent rented for him. He quickly entered the closest café.

Benjamin was still grumbling quietly to himself when he entered the café. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the girl until it was too late. He was pulled back to reality when he bumped into her and the impact made her gasp and drop the paper cup she had been clutching.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry!” Benjamin was already apologizing when the cup hit the floor with a splash. “I should have paid better attention to where I was going. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just chai tea, don’t worry about it!”

The girl was already grabbing napkins from the nearest stack to clean up the mess on the floor. For a moment Benjamin just stared at her as she swept up most of the hot beverage with the napkins. There was something about this girl that caught his attention. Whether it was the book she was clutching under her arm, or maybe the glasses that framed her face perfectly, he didn’t know. But she had definitely captured his interest.

Benjamin was pulled out of his trance when the girl straightened again and threw the soaked napkins in a nearby trash bin. He was quick to say, “At least let me get you another one then. It’s the least I can do, …”

The girl didn’t respond immediately and for a second Benjamin was sure she was going to decline his offer. But then a smile lighted her face. “Yeah, that would be nice I guess.”

Benjamin couldn’t help but smile to himself. He hadn’t missed how the girl didn’t give him her name. It was as if she hadn’t noticed he had been fishing for it, as if she thought she wasn’t special enough that anyone would be interested in knowing her name. She clearly didn’t realize how beautiful she was.

“Awesome! What can I get you?” he answered. He couldn’t resist quickly adding, “By the way, the pause at the end was meant for you to fill in your name.”

“Peppermint chai. And it’s Emmah.” She mumbled the last part while staring at her shoes.

Her shy reaction almost made Benjamin regret his remark. He hoped he hadn’t scared her away. “Great. I’ll be right back, Emmah!” he said before quickly making his way to the counter. He made sure not to lose sight of Emmah while placing his order.

After he handed Emmah her drink he carefully put a hand on the small of her back and guided her in the direction of a table in the corner. He felt relieved when she didn’t put up a fight.

He still didn’t know what it was that attracted him in this girl, but he felt an urge to get to know her better. So they talked. He wanted to know everything about her, while she was interested in how he had ended up in Maine. He quickly figured out she didn’t know who she was and it felt refreshing. He let himself be more open than he had been with anyone in a long time, without giving away that he was actually an actor in a tv show.

As they talked and laughed and talked some more, fall quickly turned into winter and rain into snow. When Christmas evening arrived, Benjamin could be seen running across campus on his way to the café where he had insisted on meeting Emmah. He was supposed to meet her fifteen minutes ago. But of course his very last class at Bowdoin had taken longer than he had anticipated. Apparently the wannabe actor teacher wasn’t into the holiday spirit.

Benjamin smiled as he left the premises of campus and his eyes found the small café not too far ahead. He sped up even more in an effort to get there faster. He used his full weight to push open the door when he reached it. The first thing he heard upon entering was a splash, followed by a cursing voice. He soon realized that in his hurry he had run into a someone who had been on their way to a table at the window. A sense of déjà vu dawned upon him while he stared at the pool of tea at their feet.

“It’s just chai tea, don’t worry about it!”

Benjamin’s head shot up at that familiar sentence, that familiar voice. He realized he had bumped into Emmah, who wasn’t able to hide a smile when seeing the look on his face. Trying his best to keep a straight face, he responded, “At least let me get you another one then. It’s the least I can do!” They both let out a laugh at the same time.

Benjamin hurried to the long line of people at the counter. It was rather busy in the café, as if all students had decided they wanted one more coffee before heading home for the holidays. When he thanked the barista for his order, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Emmah was already seated near one of the windows. As Benjamin walked over to the table he noticed that she was swaying along to the Christmas music that was coming from the speakers and quietly singing along. He felt a smile crept onto his face as he stopped for a moment to watch her. She looked absolutely adorable, lost in her own world.

Eventually he made it to their table and handed Emmah her peppermint chai. He was about to reach into the pocket of his jacket to get out Emmah’s gift when a sound coming from outside distracted him. He looked up to see two young girls, probably no older than sixteen, pointing at him and waving from behind the window. He smiled back and waved politely, praying for them to move on. For an instant he was relieved when they did move on, but his hope of being uninterrupted sank as his gaze followed the girls. He watched them walk into the café and come straight up to their table.

“Oh my God, you are Benjamin Stone. What are you doing here in Maine?” one of the girls asked as soon as they were in speaking distance.

Benjamin groaned inside, but managed to keep a straight face. He explained how he was taking some acting classes. The girls insured him he didn’t need to, as he was amazing already. One of them mentioned how ridiculous it was that The Nine Lives of Chloe King got cancelled and her friend immediately agreed. Benjamin hummed in what he hoped was a polite way. Before he could voice his opinion on the matter, however, the second girl turned to Emmah and asked if she minded taking a picture of the three of them.

Benjamin didn’t dare to look up at Emmah’s reaction. He still hadn’t told her he was an actor and starting to get somewhat famous. He couldn’t explain why, but he just had never felt to need to tell her. He always wanted to impress her, but not by showing off with his job. And now she was going to hate him for it.

Benjamin heard how Emmah agreed to take the picture and when he felt the girls’ hands around his shoulders he pulled out a fake smile. When he finally did look up to have the picture taken Emmah’s face was unreadable. He felt his heart sink and cursed himself inside.

Relief washed over Benjamin as the girls finally decided to leave again. He watched them as they walked out of the café, happily chatting about their picture. They seemed so careless he almost wished he was one of them. Then at least he wouldn’t have to sit here in this awkward silence that was now surrounding Emmah and him.

After what seemed like forever, Emmah was the one to eventually break the silence. “You love who you love. Guess I never really stood a chance, did I?” she said.

At first, Benjamin just felt a blush creep onto his cheeks, along with a small smile finding its way to his lips. He glanced at Emmah and was about to say how he loved that she didn’t care about his job. Then he realized that he had heard those exact words before. From his own mouth. His head shot up and he found Emmah staring at him with a smirk.

“You knew? You’ve known all along?” His voice did nothing to hide his surprise.

Emmah’s smirk only grew bigger when seeing his reaction. “Yes Ben, I’ve known all along,” she admitted with a laugh. “I just didn’t think it was a big deal. Unless you want it to be a big deal?”

Benjamin was quick to answer, “No, no. Of course not. It’s just… where have you been all my life?” His words didn’t came out as he had intended them to sound and he felt another blush creep onto his cheeks. He kind of hated how Emmah was able to catch him off guard and have him spill his feelings without even intending to do so. Luckily Emmah didn’t notice his blush as she was suddenly very busy staring at her hands. The color of her cheeks matched his own.

The new silence that surrounded the two wasn’t as awkward as the last one, but it still felt uncomfortable. Benjamin quickly decided this was a good time to finally hand Emmah her gift. He intently watched her as he placed the small box in front of her, curious for her reaction. As he expected, Emmah began to protest as soon as she saw the present. “I don’t have your present with me,” she said. And, “We agreed to not give presents until after Christmas.”

Benjamin silenced her with a finger on her lips. “Shut up,” he said with a smile. “I know what we agreed on, I just couldn’t wait to give you this. Please open it?”

Emmah stared at him for a moment and then gave him a small nod. He watched in silence as her slender fingers started unwrapping the gift. A smile spread across his face when she gasped at the sight of the silver bracelet he bought her. It had reminded him of Emmah the moment he saw it at the jeweler’s window. The cross, anchor and heart charms dangling from it symbolized faith, hope and love, the three things that he felt when he was around Emmah.

“Oh my god, this is beautiful, Ben! I love it!” Emmah whispered while admiring the bracelet.

“A beautiful bracelet for a beautiful girl,” Benjamin said with a smile as he reached to take the bracelet. As he put it on Emmah’s wrist, it frustrated him to see she was blushing and trying to hide behind her bangs. After months getting to know each other, hours spend together, Emmah still didn’t seem to realize how he felt about her.

Suddenly a gush of cold air distracted Benjamin from his frustrations. The door had opened as a group of people walked into the café, bringing the cold December wind with them. He turned around to see how much longer the door would be open and that’s when he spotted it. The idea formed in his head as soon as he saw the small ornament hanging from the ceiling. And he knew that tonight would be the night he would make Emmah realize how he felt about her and how he wanted them to be so much more than friends.

The two talked a little more, but decided to leave not much later. When Emmah reached for the door of the café, Benjamin jumped in front of her and stopped her from opening it. Emmah opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Benjamin’s lips were on hers. The kiss was short and sweet, but Benjamin was very pleased to see it still left Emmah breathless.

“What… What was that for?” Emmah managed to ask after taking a deep breath.

“That one was because of the mistletoe,” Benjamin explained, pointing at the small branch above their heads. “And this one, this is because I really like you,” he added before closing the gap between Emmah’s and his lips again. He had never been happier then when he felt Emmah kiss him back.

“It’s a good thing my mom always makes too much food,” Emmah whispered after they broke the kiss again.

Benjamin felt confused and frowned at her. “Why is that?” he wanted to know.

“Because after that kiss, there’s no way I’m going to let you go to your apartment and spend Christmas evening all alone. You’re coming home with me. I’m not letting go of you ever again, love!” Emmah explained. She linked their fingers together as she pulled open the door of the café.

Benjamin let himself be pulled out into the cold. He was holding hands with the most beautiful girl in the world and a smile was plastered on his face. ‘Yeah,’ he thought to himself, ‘I can live with never letting go again.’


End file.
